Case Study Analysis

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Thomas Green: Power, Office Politics and a Career in Crisis

Scroll down to see the second, third and fourth solutions!

Executive summary

Thomas Green faces a big career crisis which is attributed to the lack of management

competencies, such as self-awareness, communication skills, as well as power and

politics. In order to resolve Thomas’s current issues, alternative solutions are provided

and evaluated against three decision criteria like time, ease of implementation, and

boss satisfaction. At last, the recommendations and action plan are generated,

including crossing the sensitive line, reducing the blind area, learning written and

supportive communication, carrying out stakeholder analysis and building relationship

with stakeholders. These would help Thomas to enhance the competencies he lacks,

thus it is possible for him to improve the relationship with his boss and retain the job.

1. Introduction - Thomas Green: Power, Office Politics and a Career in Crisis

The managerial effectiveness is based on management competencies(Darling &

Fischer, 1998), and enhancing the competencies would have a direct impact on job

performance and job satisfaction (Shipper & White, 1999). This report first describes

the challenges faced by Thomas Green who has a poor relationship with his immediate

boss and is in danger of losing his job. Then, it provides a detailed analysis of the

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factors which may contribute to the issues and the alternatives that would help Thomas

to move forward. Based on the analysis, the most suitable recommendations and action

plan are generated.

2. Problem identification and analysis

2.1 Key Issues

After being rapidly promoted to senior market specialist, Thomas without enough

managerial experience faces a big career crisis. He receives harsh criticism from his

immediate boss Frank Davis as they disagree on each other’s work styles and

marketing projections. Green’s failure to be aware of his own weaknesses, change the

communication style and fully understand power and office politics result in the

extremely poor relationship with Davis, which are likely to lead to his discharge

eventually.

The reasons behind these issues are the lack of management competencies. First, the

lack of self-awareness makes Thomas unable to realize his weaknesses and work

capacity limitations. Second, ineffective communication leads to communication

conflicts with Davis. In addition, his little understanding of office politics and lack of

change management skills stoke Davis’s anger. The combined influences of these three

factors ultimately deteriorate the relationship with Davis and lead to his career

disaster, thus these competencies should be enhanced greatly to improve Green’s

dilemma.

2.2 Factors contributing to the issues

Factor 1: Lack of self-awareness

Based on the Johari Window, the blind area prevents Thomas from gaining a full

understanding of himself (Luft, 1969). Thomas has abundant experience in sales field

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but is lack of experience in the senior market specialist position. Although McDonald

has asked him to seek guidance from other seasoned managers, Thomas did not spend

much time doing this. Without receiving feedback and advice from others, he cannot

reduce the blind area of self-awareness (Luft, 1969). Thus, the incomplete self-

awareness makes him unable to fully know his weaknesses, so that he cannot make the

right decision and plan in work, especially the market projections which intensify the

conflicts with Davis.

In addition, the sensitive line makes Thomas become defensive and sets a protected

area for himself (Carlopio & Andrewartha, 2012). To be specific, Thomas always thinks

he did really well in his work but never admits his weaknesses. When his problems are

pointed out by Davis, Thomas becomes protective as he encounters the information

which is inconsistent with his self-concept (Whetten and Cameron, 2011). Since Davis’s

words approach Thomas’s sensitive line closely, Thomas feels a strong need to defend

himself against it. So, he rejects to receive Davis’s suggestions and refuses to alter his

behavior to make improvements. However, if Thomas recognizes his weaknesses and

changes his work style in time, it is less likely to provoke Davis to anger and lead to his

discharge. Thus, the competence of self-awareness is one of the main factors which

result in Thomas’s career crisis.

Factor 2: Lack of effective communication

There are three main problems in Thomas’s communication. First, he does not

recognize the importance of effective communication in organizations. According to

Giri and Kumar (2010), effective communication has a great impact on job satisfaction

and performance and is one of the most important criteria of determining employees’

promotability and success (Bryan, Pickrell, Burton & Parsons, 2006; Morley, 2002).

However, Thomas just focuses on communication with clients but ignores the

communication with his immediate boss, which leads to Davis’s dissatisfaction. For

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example, Thomas believes that the talk with Davis is unnecessary and keeps avoiding

interactions with Davis. The ineffective communication results in the

misunderstanding between these two men and ultimately hinders the progress of

Thomas’s career.

Second, the semantic barrier makes communication difficult (Gillespie, 2008;

Lunenburg, 2010). To be specific, Thomas attaches unintended meanings to Davis’

words and misunderstands the communication. Also, according to the 4 Dimensions

Framework, as there are four kinds of ears and four beaks which may influence

communication, Davis’s statement of a fact can be heard by Thomas’s four ears which

leads to the high possibility of misunderstanding. After Davis pointing out the

problems, Thomas does not seem to feel a strong need to improve his communication

skill level (Spitzberg & Cupach, 1994). This is because he always thinks Davis’s negative

assessment is not due to his poor communication performance, but his actions which

made Davis embarrassed in the public. Thus, the miscommunication makes him

unable to recognize his own weaknesses so that he does not make any changes,

resulting in a poor relationship with Davis.

In addition, Thomas and Davis have conflicts in their ways of communication.

Specifically, Thomas prefers verbal communication through face-to-face, however,

Davis prefers communicating in the form of written documents, such as reports,

memos, and presentations. Although verbal communication could convey the feelings

and emotions and help to assist in active participation of the dialogue, it is not wise to

resist written communication (Carlopio & Andrewartha, 2012). Written

communication is indispensable for any formal business communication as it can

provide accurate and detailed information as well as hard data. Thus, Thomas’s

resistant to written communication does not fit into the formal business, and it boosts

Davis’s dissatisfaction and leads to his career crisis.

Factor 3: Little understanding of power and office politics

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Having not just power but political skill contributes widely to managerial performance

(Perrewé, Ferris, Funk & Anthony, 2000). However, Thomas pays less attention to

power which is the ability to influence others (Galinsky, Magee, Inesi & Gruenfeld,

2006), and understands little about office politics in the organizations. To be specific,

when Thomas showed different perspectives with Davis on the market forecast, he

proposed his objections in the public directly instead of using power to get supporters,

which gives rise to Davis dissatisfaction. If he understands the ways to build and wield

his own power effectively, he would know the resources that he can control, and the

right individuals or stakeholders in the organization who should be mapped

accordingly so as to gain support (Pfeffer, 2010).

Besides, Thomas has little understanding of stakeholders’ hidden power and influence

which leads to his failure. This is because he does not realize the importance of

stakeholders in the organizations who can be seen as a considerable asset for

contributing knowledge, insights, and support (Bourne & Walker, 2005). Without

alliances and supporters in the business, the only result of Thomas’s open challenge to

Davis is evoking Davis’s wrath and making himself an awkward situation.

3. Alternative solutions and evaluation

In order to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative, it is

important to consider decision criteria, such as the time required, the ease of

implementation and to what extent it can achieve Davis' satisfaction. For finding the

best ways to help Thomas resolves the career crisis, the scoring model can be used

which is a simple tool for evaluating each alternative (Pinto,2010). With assigning the

weight of each criterion, boss satisfaction is the most important criterion and is given

50% weighting, while the time required and ease of implementation accounting for

25% respectively. In addition, each criterion has three evaluation levels. For example, if

the alternative just requires a short time, it would get one mark. The specific marks of

the evaluation level are given in the decision table. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will

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3.1 Improving self-awareness

Table 1: Decision analysis of enhancing self-awareness

From the table above, reducing blind area and crossing the sensitive line with higher

scores could bring a great impact on solving Thomas’s problems.

Advantages

Reducing blind area by asking suggestions from colleagues and friends is timesaving

which enables Thomas to enhance self-awareness in a short time. Besides, with talking

with others, Thomas can see some of his weaknesses that are in his blind area (Luft,

1969) and get insights from his peers regarding similar circumstances. Also, reflecting

through meditation is also a good way for Thomas to realize his problems in work. In

terms of crossing a sensitive line, it also does not require long implementation time and

helps Thomas to accept Davis’s feedback which is inconsistent with his own self-

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concept (Carlopio & Andrewartha, 2012), thus he would be willing to change his

working style accordingly to match the requirements of his boss.

Disadvantages

With regard to the disadvantages, although meditation is a good way for Thomas to

reflect individually, the blind area still exists since he still cannot gain a full

understanding of himself and gain support from others. Besides, although reducing

blind area and crossing the sensitive line can broad Thomas’s self-awareness, it is not

easy to implement. When receiving uncomfortable information, Thomas may probably

to be rigid and defend himself against the information which is called threat-rigidity

response (Staw, Sandelands, & Dutton, 1981; Weick, 1993). Similarly, even if his

colleagues or friends give him some useful suggestions, it is possible that he does not

want to reexamine and change his self-concept, thus the alternatives would have no

effect.

3.2 Improving communication skills

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Table 2: Decision analysis of improving communication

Through calculation, it can be found that changing the communicating way is the best

alternative for enhancing communication competency, followed by providing

supportive communication.

Advantages

In terms of the four alternatives, changing into written communication and paying

attention to the timing of communication do not require a long time, thus Thomas

could improve these two aspects in a very short time. In addition, all the alternatives

can be implemented easily, which means if Thomas is willing to change, it is possible

for him to communicate with others effectively.

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More importantly, by using the first two alternatives, it is highly likely to achieve Davis

satisfaction. To be specific, the written communication could help Thomas fit into the

business since it is the most common communication way in the organization and it is

the way that Davis and McDonald expect. Besides, providing supportive

communication may help Thomas to deliver accurate messages and build a positive

relationship in the business(Cole, 1999). If Thomas can communicate supportively,

Davis’s complaints and misunderstanding could be resolved (Bishop 2006; Chang

2003).

Disadvantages

Although supportive communication can bring competitive advantage to Thomas

(Carlopio & Andrewartha, 2012), it may take a relatively long time to learn how to

communicate supportively. Thus, it is disadvantageous for Thomas who needs

improvement urgently to rescue himself from the awkward situation. Apart from that,

paying attention to the timing of communication cannot truly change Davis’s negative

attitude. This is because Thomas’s open challenge towards Davis has already evoked

Davis to anger, it may not have great positive impacts in a short time.

3.3 Improving power and office politics

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Table 3: Decision analysis of improving power and politics

Advantages

Carrying out stakeholder analysis and building relationship with them may effectively

resolve Thomas’s current situation. By identifying stakeholders’ interests and power

level, Thomas would understand who are the right persons to gain support from and

who will be his alliances (Newcombe, 2003). Besides, doing the analysis can be done

immediately and is easy to implement. Meeting the resources would increase the

chances of success that Thomas gains support from stakeholders (Pfeffer, 2010). As

stakeholders are considerable assets for contributing knowledge, insights, and support

(Bourne & Walker, 2005), Thomas would receive useful suggestions and have the

power to improve the situation through building a network with supportive

stakeholders.

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Regarding the disadvantages, meeting resources and building relationships with

stakeholders is time-consuming, which indicates it is less likely for him to control the

resources and gain support from stakeholders in a short period. Besides, due to the

awkward situation faced by Thomas, especially the poor relationship with Davis, some

stakeholders may not willing to provide support. Thus, these two alternatives are

somewhat difficult to implement.

4. Recommendations

4.1 Short-term and Long-term Recommendations

Based on the evaluation and analysis of the alternative solutions of each competency,

the most suitable recommendations are generated and given below.

Self-awareness

Through analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of three alternatives, crossing the

sensitive line and reducing the blind area should be Thomas’s main focus to help him

realize his own weaknesses and make improvements. In order to do this, there are 3

guidelines that Thomas can do in the short-term.

Thomas should proactively to seek suggestions from his colleagues and friends as

they may have experienced a similar situation and know better about his

shortcomings and work problems. In addition, Thomas also needs to spend more

time seeking guidance from other seasoned managers to meet McDonald

expectations.

Thomas should learn to test the validity of the discrepant information (Whetten

and Cameron, 2011). For example, if someone gives him the information that is

not consistent with his own self-concept, do not defend against it immediately. Try

to record it in the notebook, and figure out whether it is accurate through

reflecting himself when he calms down, like before sleeping.

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Self-disclosure is the key to self-awareness improvement (Harris, 1981). Thomas

should open up to others and try to discuss aspects of the self that seem

ambiguous. Thus, involving others in the process of Thomas’s self-understanding

can help him expand the blind area and gain a better understanding of what

should be enhanced.

Communication

Among all the alternatives for enhancing communication skills, learning written

communication and supportive communication are the two best ways.

Short-term

Try to resolve the conflicts through written communication. Specifically, write an

email to Davis and McDonald to summarize the issues which happened during the

work as well as his own self-weaknesses, and promise to make improvements

immediately.

To be problem-oriented rather than person-oriented as there exists a big problem

in person-oriented. Although most people can change their behavior, few can

change their basic personalities, which leads to the deterioration in the

relationship instead of problem-solving (Whetten and Cameron, 2011). Thus,

Thomas should try to focus on problems and solutions during communication and

link them to the accepted standards rather than to personal opinions (Whetten

and Cameron, 2011).

Long-term

Learn written communication and form the habit of communicating in the form of

written materials. The learning content includes ensuring the accuracy of the

meaning delivered, considering the denotative and connotative meaning of the

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words, adjusting the tone of the message to the formality of the situation (Carlopio

& Andrewartha, 2012).

Power and politics

To enhance Thomas’s understanding of office politics, it is highly recommended that

Thomas should carry out stakeholder analysis and build relationships with

stakeholders.

Short-term

Make stakeholder analysis in-depth through identifying stakeholders’ attitudes

and behaviors in terms of five aspects, including their interests and values, specific

stake in the issues, the urgency of the issue, sources of power and affiliations with

other stakeholders. By doing this, it will provide Thomas with an understanding of

the major stakeholders in the organization, especially those showing interests in

the current project and those having influence over Davis.

Long-term

Try to control over resources which are important to others, like money,

equipment, space, and information(Pfeffer, 2010). This is because the more

resources Thomas can control, the more chance Thomas can have to help those

whose support is wanted. In return, it is possible for stakeholders to stand by

Thomas’s side.

Build positive relationships with stakeholders to gain support. For example, the

relationship with Davis is of great importance which is critical to gaining support

and working in a stress-reduced and productive environment. If Thomas could

improve the relationship with Davis, Davis would trust Thomas’s decisions and be

willing to consider his suggestions. Building a relationship with other stakeholders

is also necessary to ensure they have an understanding of the benefits of what

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Thomas is working on and that they are still supportive of it. Thus, Thomas should

use his power to influence and persuade those stakeholders that might be losing

interest, and win back support.

4.2 Action Plan

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Table 4: Action Plan

5. Conclusion

Thomas’s lack of self-awareness, ineffective communication and little understanding

regarding power and politics deteriorate the relationship with Davis, which are likely to

lead to his discharge eventually. Through evaluating the alternatives based on the

decision criteria, including time, ease of implementation, and boss satisfaction, the

recommendations are listed below. Enhancing the competencies would help Thomas to

improve the relationship with Davis as well as stakeholders, and lead to better job

performance and higher job satisfaction (Shipper & White, 1999)

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Table 5: Summary of the report

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Bishop, B. (2006). Theory and practice converge a proposed set of corporate

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Second solution

In Thomas Green: Power, Office Politics, and a Career in Crisis, we are presented with

a scenario revolving around a new hire, Thomas Green, and his situation with a veteran

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at the company, Frank Davis. As the case progresses, we notice the political

characteristics of their work environment and come to appreciate the importance of a

political attitude as Green’s potential slowly diminishes to the point where he is on the

verge of being dismissed. Throughout their situation, we notice the differences between

both characters and how their actions ultimately affect the way that their organization,

Dynamic Displays, operates. Following the mistakes made by Green and Davis’

reaction to these mistakes, we arrive at a point where we must analyze Green’s most

successful route in order to amend the situation he has been put in. By utilizing

concepts such as power, negotiation, and conflict management, we can determine the

way that he should deal with his specific conditions in a way that best benefits everyone

involved.

Throughout the case study, we get a glimpse of the work styles and personalities of

Thomas Green and Frank Davis. Thomas Green, a 28-year-old who has been

catapulted to the position of the division’s senior market specialist, is characterized as a

hard-working and charismatic individual. While Dynamic Displays utilizes a method

reliant on aesthetic presentations in order to display their data, Green prefers a more

direct and personal approach. Green clearly favors the more classic method of selling a

product to a client and conjuring a strategy as situations present themselves, all while

keeping a realistic outlook towards the numbers that he deems that the company can

produce. Green’s demeanor demonstrates the lack of importance which he places on

office politics, especially as he undermines his current boss, Frank Davis, and refuses to

make the necessary changes that will ultimately help his career in Dynamic Displays.

While the work he does is fit for the position, Thomas Green’s reckless work style

obviously clashes with Frank Davis’ political attitude. Frank Davis, a 17-year veteran in

the company and current marketing director for the Travel and Hospitality Division,

has an optimistic attitude which focuses heavily on strategic planning. It is fairly clear

that he serves as a polar opposite to Thomas Green, which leads Davis to demonstrate

his political cunning by doing everything in his power to dismiss Green from his

current position. In this situation, Frank Davis’ ability to play the part as a political

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manager may end up getting him the opportunity he wants to hand-pick the future

senior market specialist in favor of a person who aligns better with his strict and

ambitious attitude.

While Thomas Green and Frank Davis differ in their attitudes, their relationship largely

turns sour due to the disconnect between Davis’ expectations and Green’s actions. This

disconnect begins when Davis estimates 10% growth in their region, causing Green to

challenge his comment because of his inability to visualize Dynamic Displays reaching

that number so quickly. By calling out his superior, Green immediately causes Davis to

speak negatively about him: “Thomas’s problem is that he’s too conservative in his

outlook. He is thinking like an account exec who is only concerned with the sales target.

In the senior market specialist position, he has to think outside the box and develop

strategies to capture that aggressive growth target” (Sasser & Beckham 4). Rather than

recognizing that it may not be in his best interest to challenge Davis, Green ends up

making a costly first impression. Apart from this moment, Davis expresses his distaste

for Green’s lack of communication during their performance review meeting,

acknowledging the latter’s incongruences with regards to his work calendar and the

charts he is supposed to report to Davis. Green finds it difficult to comprehend why

Davis seems to focus on these small details and fails to make an improvement that may

win his boss over. Instead of demonstrating that he wants to do a better job, Greens

seems way too preoccupied with keeping with his work style to the point where he

comes off as snarky with his superiors. Another important point is that Davis expects

more enthusiasm from Green, who he deems carries a negative attitude. While Green

may not seem to carry a negative attitude with regards to his clients, it is fairly easy to

interpret why Davis believes it. Green’s actions exhibit a confusion for the way that

Davis handles his job, to the point where he almost comes off as dismissive and

difficult to work with. While Frank Davis looks to align Thomas Green to be a better fit

for what he wants to achieve, Green continuously lets him down and decides to handle

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In my opinion, Thomas Green’s actions and job performance have severely lacked the

political aspect, which is vital when keeping a position as important as the one he

currently holds. While Green has demonstrated his capacity to handle the workload

that the senior market specialist position entails, he has severely failed to form the

appropriate coalitions that could facilitate his stay at Dynamic Displays, such as

cultivating his relationship with Frank Davis and Shannon McDonald. By isolating

Frank Davis and pushing his advice away, Green has created a situation for himself

where he has made an enemy out of the person who most directly influences whether

he remains at the company. Similarly, he has seemingly failed to continue

communication with McDonald, which could have been an important asset to have

amidst his ordeal with Davis. Instead of mapping the political terrain, Green decided to

handle everything in the manner that he best saw fit and evidently caused a rift which

makes him seem incompetent, unenthusiastic, and impossible to work with. Green

erred when he failed to follow Davis’ guidelines; guidelines which would have barely

impacted his day-to-day but would have made a tremendous difference with regards to

his relationship with Frank Davis. Green’s actions have been extremely selfish, as he

has failed to acknowledge his errors simply because he cannot comprehend a mindset

different from his own.

It could be stated that both Frank Davis and Shannon McDonald have

underlying agendas, as is typical in practically every work environment. In Frank Davis’

mind, he may think that it was unfair for him not to have the opportunity of choosing

the new senior market specialist. This lack of power may be leading him towards

wanting to get Green demoted, which could ultimately be his agenda. By criticizing

Green’s work style and asking him to modify even the smallest of things, he could

slowly find a way to either lead Green to being the type of employee he wants him to be

or push him out definitively; both of which would be convenient solutions to his

problem. On the other hand, Shannon McDonald may feel that she needs to do

everything to keep Green in his current position, especially because it was her decision

to give him the opportunity even when she knew he may not have been the best fit for it

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yet. While she may feel a sincere desire to remedy the problems between Davis and

Green, there is no denying that there is a more personal stake for her because of how

this situation may end up affecting her image in the company.

“Negotiation is needed whenever two or more parties with some interests in common

and others in conflict need to reach an agreement”, mention Bolman and Deal when

speaking about the decision-making process that surrounds a typical work

environment (221). In the case of Thomas Green, we can observe a necessity for

appropriate negotiation if Green wants to keep his position and manage the differences

that he has with Frank Davis. By utilizing the concepts presented in Getting to the Yes

by Roger Fisher and William Ury, Green could initiate an exchange of principled

bargaining which incorporates four principles that ensure the best outcome for both

parties: (1) separate the people from the problem; (2) focus on interests rather than

positions; (3) generate a variety of options before settling on an agreement; (4) insist

that the agreement be based on objective criteria (Glaser).

By separating the people from the problem, Fisher and Ury mention that both parties

will be less inclined to become defensive with regards to what is discussed and the

chances of the relationship being damaged lower drastically. During this stage, it is

important to realize that perceptions, emotions, and communication make up the most

common people problems. Thomas Green needs to understand Davis’ viewpoint with

regards to the situation and he should express his own opinions with this in mind. His

approach cannot be to take a side and stick to it, especially as he attempts to win over a

key player in his political terrain. By acknowledging his own faults with regards to how

he challenged Davis publically and the clear differences in style between the two, Green

can then attempt to openly express the feelings of unfairness which he has holstered in

his head. Apologizing for his actions could help ease the emotions that are visible in the

relationship between the two, and it could open the door for a more relaxed negotiation

as both parties feel more comfortable with the situation at hand. It is absolutely We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will

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primordial for an appropriate and strong communication to be established, especially if

Thomas Green wants to keep the position he has worked so hard to obtain.

Similarly, it is important to focus on interests rather than positions during the

negotiation process. Fisher and Ury distinguish between the two by explaining that

“your position is something you have decided upon. Your interests are what caused you

to so decide” (Glaser). It could be said that Davis is already firmly decided on his

position to find a replacement for Thomas Green, which is why the latter should

determine the reasons for Davis’ positions and attempt to find a solution which

ultimately best serves both parties. By identifying Frank Davis’ interests, Green could

take the necessary steps towards amending the problems and ultimately modify his

relationship with his superior. It is possible that once reflecting over his

interests, Davis could find himself more open to changing his position and establishing

a common ground that could help the present divisiveness between the two.

It is in Green’s best interest to generate options alongside Frank Davis to reach a

consensus that could help both individuals. Fisher and Ury express that there are four

important characteristics which help this process: (1) separating the invention process

from the evaluation stage; (2) avoid falling into a win-lose mentality by focusing on

shared interests; (3) recognizing that the most accepted propositions are those with the

most legitimacy; (4) considering the consequences of each option together (Glaser).

With these characteristics in mind, Green could formulate options which appeal to his

superior and have a high chance of finding himself in a position where Davis is also

receptive to Green’s needs. Instead of taking the past stance of not giving in to what

Davis has asked of him, Thomas Green could very easily propose a change in his work

style and attempt to identify the smaller nuances that could be sacrificed in the eyes of

Davis. Similarly, Green could express his desire to keep his job and amend his

relationship with McDonald in order to have her help as he looks to remedy his

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Objective criteria is a key asset when attempting to negotiate. “Agreeing on criteria at

the beginning of negotiations can produce optimism and momentum while reducing

the use of devious or provocative tactics that get in the way of a mutually beneficial

solution” (Bolman & Deal 222). If Thomas Green establishes from the beginning that

he has not demonstrated the proper enthusiasm and work style necessary to succeed in

his position, he could immediately win back the likes of McDonald and Davis. By

utilizing their reasoning to support his position, Green could ease the tension and

greatly improve the chances of reaching a consensus.

It is important to note the significance of power in the dealings surrounding the

political frame, especially as it pertains to the way Green should handle this specific

problem. Throughout the case, we can identify the main sources of legitimate power:

Shannon McDonald and Frank Davis. While McDonald demonstrated her power by

hiring Green, Davis has demonstrated his own with the performance evaluations that

could end up costing Green his job. As it stands, Green’s best bet is to utilize his

referent power, or the power derived from influence over others, acquired from being

well-liked or respected. Green’s charisma and ability as a salesman could be put to use

on McDonald and Davis, in order to conjure up an image that is more suitable to

the position he currently holds. By putting forth more of an effort to win over the

influences of power in the office, Green could remain in his position and continue

building the alliances that will allow him to prosper towards the future. Demonstrating

flexibility, empathy, and an ability to engage conflict will allow Green to obtain the

power that is so vital in this political frame, and which will help resolve most of his

current troubles.

All of this being said, it could be stated that there are various alternatives regarding the

response to conflict that Thomas Green may utilize if he wants to keep in mind the

negotiation tactics and the sources of power in the office. The Thomas-Kilmann

Conflict Mode Instrument proposes five possibilities of response to conflict –

avoidance, accommodating, compromising, forcing, collaborating – which best serve

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specific situations. Considering Thomas Green’s need to build social capital for the

future, an accommodating response to the conflict may be appropriate in his case. The

goal behind this response is to maintain a healthy relationship with another individual,

sometimes to the point where the accommodator begins to be taken advantage of.

Green could look to please Davis in order to keep his job and continue to build a

rapport with McDonald, even if he does not necessarily agree with the tactics they have

employed. Instead of focusing on Davis’ unfair motive to get him dismissed, Green

could give him what he wants and hopes he changes his mind. Another possible

response to this conflict would be compromising, which is based around reaching a

speedy agreement instead of pondering the long-term consequences. Since Green’s job

is on the line, a more expedient solution may be necessary. This compromising could

center around the work style differences between both parties, and maybe both Davis

and Green could come to an agreement that involves the first being less stringent and

the latter being less independent. The best solution will usually come from a

collaborative response to conflict, in which both parties have views that cannot be

sacrificed and the problem is resolved as a unit. Collaboration yields the maximum

response because the individual relationship is placed at the forefront and a genuine

agreement is created. By introducing an integrative negotiation which allows both

parties to cooperate in order to achieve maximum benefits, each individual could voice

their priorities and concerns equally. Green and Davis could allow themselves to hash

out their differences and reach a solution that could serve both of them. For example,

Green could serve as a more realistic voice with regards to the sales predictions that

Davis produces and they would have an opportunity to work together towards a

common goal of making Dynamic Displays more successful. Instead of needing to

drastically change their work styles, they could utilize their best characteristics to

create a work environment that is more diverse and innovative.

Thomas Green’s situation encapsulates the importance of politics in a work

environment. A simple difference in personality and work style has amounted to

significant consequences, and it is now Green’s responsibility to find a way to amend

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the situations he finds himself in. With the help of conflict management styles, the

recognition of the power sources inside of the office, and the various negotiation

techniques provided by Fisher and Ury, Green stands a good chance of keeping his

position and making his relationships with Davis and McDonald more efficient.

References:

"French and Raven's Five Forms of Power: Understanding Where Power Comes From

in the Workplace." MindTools. Ed. MindTools Team. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2016.

ArbyDavidian. “Getting to Yes - 2. Options.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 1

August 2013. Web. 4 April 2016.

Bolman, Lee G., and Terrence E. Deal. Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and

Leadership. 4th ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008.

Glaser, Tanya. "Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In." Conflict

Research Consortium. Colorado University, n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2016.

Learning Communications. “Getting to Yes.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 1

June 2009. Web. 4 April 2016.

Maguet, Patricia. "Integrative versus Distributive Negotiation." SlideShare. N.p., 7 Mar.

2014. Web. 7 Apr. 2016.

Sasser, W. Earl, and Heather Beckham. "Thomas Green: Power, Office Politics, and a

Career in Crisis." Harvard Business Publishing (2008): 1-11. Web. 6 Apr. 2016

Thomas, Kenneth W., and Ralph H. Kilmann. "An Overview of the Thomas-Kilmann

Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI)." An Overview of the TKI. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr.

2016.

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Tungeln, S. Von “Getting to Yes Negotiation 2nd half.” Online video clip. YouTube.

YouTube, 24 January 2013. Web. 5 April 2016.

Ury, William. “Getting to Yes: 1. Interests.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 25

September 2015. Web. 4 April 2016.

Third solution 1. What are the personalities and work styles of Thomas Green and Frank Davis?

Thomas Green, the senior marketing specialist is a man that has a bachelor's degree in

economics, joined in 2007 having a fast promotion from account executive and now is

responsible for identifying industry trends, evaluating new business opportunities and

establishing sales goals. According to this, Green has little experience, he aggressively

seeks to advance his position in the organization, using Shannon to further his goals.

Instead of pursuing the goals of the organization, he only looks out after his own

personal gains. Also, Green has a reluctant behavior. Considering the working style, we

can say that Tom Green prefers to work independently and values autonomy, he has

poor communication with boss, subordinates and team members. His work style is less

structured due to his preference of just speaking with clients about numbers and the

topic chosen but without any provided data or backup information. Finally, it can be

said that his leadership style regarding his poor job and lack of management

experience is transformational leadership. Frank Davis has a bachelor's degree in

history from NYU and has a career growth in dynamic displays. He prefers face to face

interaction, has 17 years of experience, dedicated and loyal value chain of command, is

goal orientated and believes that working hard equals success. In his work style, he

values teamwork, values good communication, status update and the quick

responsiveness and detailed-oriented, projections, strategies. Can be considered a

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2. How do the actions of Thomas Green differ from the expectations of Frank Davis?

As mentioned before, Thomas Green is more focused on generation x (1965-1980)

meaning that he is more focused on communicating via email or text, values

independence, he is not overly loyal to employers but he also is very confident in

abilities and willing to challenge current practices. Even though he had good results

and was able to be promoted he committed a mistake which has to be too independent

and having the “lone wolf behavior” meaning that he ignored the consultation and

direction of frank avoiding his experience and time in the company. Moreover, Tom

rejected his team at the storming stage of group formation, meaning that he did not

accept norms like not adhering to industry conventions, violating the norm of

subordinate behavior when he challenged frank. All the aspects mentioned before

made Tom expectations differ from Frank.

3. How do you think Tomas green performed in his first 5 months? What mistakes has he made?

During his first five months, Green did not have great performance levels. Amongst

other things, this was due to his lack of experience, his “style”, and attitude towards his

new job. There are several things that went wrong during those months but, in general,

Thomas’ mistakes could be grouped into categories. First, when he took over the

position, due to his aggressive approach and ambition, he was more worried about the

position than the responsibility of the job. He was eager to impress McDonald, who had

vouched for him, and the whole executive team but his style was not adequate nor

productive for the circumstances. Whenever he had to respond or report to someone,

he usually preferred to handle the situation by himself, take rushed decisions and try to

prove his worth at all cost. By doing this, Thomas did not consider the company politics

(as said in the text) and got to a point where he upset everyone with his performance -

including himself. Aside from that, he got to a point where he saw all the complaints

and negative feedback he was getting as some sort of plot from Davis to get rid of him.

Thomas was holding his ground regarding the overly-optimistic sales objectives that

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Davis had proposed and preferred to blame it on that and keep working with his “style”

rather than to seek help – as he was told to do in the beginning – in order to design

useful strategies to try and beat those ambitious goals. He did not take his new job

seriously enough, he was too blinded by the recognition, the position, and the job itself

to even try to make a positive impact.

4. What are the possible underlying agendas of McDonald and Frank Davis?

When looked through the lens of office politics, it's clear there are underlying motives

influencing Davis's and McDonald's behavior regarding Green. At the beginning of the

case, it is stated that Davis wanted to assign someone of his preference but was overrun

by McDonald, his superior, who chose someone without much consideration and

without following normal promoting practices inside the company. Both managers

wish to have someone they control on the position and at first, it would seem as though

McDonald had won influence at Davis 'expense by assigning a rookie who would then

be loyal to her because of the enormous opportunity given to him. Davis's response was

to use the influence he already had with others in the company to criticize Green from

his position of authority and thereby make McDonald's judgment in choosing

promotions seem flawed in order to weaken her perceived position of power amongst

the rest in headquarters. If effective, Davis might get Green to leave or be fired because

of perceived incompetence (with might be entirely fabricated on Davis´s part) and then

be given the chance to choose someone who's loyal to him for the vacant spot all the

while decreasing McDonalds's authority in deciding future promotions.

5. What actions, if any, would you take if you were Tomas Green?

The situation that Tomas is living in this point of his life could be assumed as a

breakdown and is his decision how to act, as a victim or as a protagonist. That’s

because at that moment, depending on the decisions that he takes, he could stay in the

company or be fired. And as the guest that came to the class told us, the first decision

that I would take if I were Thomas is to try to solve the problem and not anesthetize it,

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do not avoid it or try to find excuses but instead, do something that changes the current

situation for better.

Complementing the last idea, one way to do all the above is to accept the reality and the

responsibility. The first one, accept the reality, is a way to analyses what is happening

and don’t be afraid of it, be aware of your actions and try to take alternatives of the

problem, that’s one way I would try to act. The other one, accept the responsibility, is if

I am part of the problem, I am also part of the solution, and for doing that is key to

assume my role in the problem.

A way to understand why in the moment is difficult to act in that way is thanks to the

theory exposed in the book “general irresponsibility” chapter 2 that says that the

feeling of being a victim, the psychology of stimulation and reaction, are ideas that

deny free will and responsibility by stating that people and their behaviors are shaped

exclusively by external factors. And In this case, Tomas is acting like that, that’s why an

important step that I would do to change the situation is to analyses what I’m doing

wrong, and accept the feedback, the pieces of advice and the solutions that Davis gave

Tomas. That’s my solution, one chooses to do what he does in response to the situation

he perceives, chooses to act in the way he does, because one thinks it is the best

possible (given the circumstances) to pursue his interests according to his values.

External events are not stimuli, but information and the important now is to prevent

getting fired.

Fourth solution Executive Summary

The report highlights the major problems due to which Thomas Green finds himself in

a precarious situation. His unilateral approach to work, the improper channel of

communication and ignorance towards organizational politics are the major reasons

for his startling downfall. After thorough discussions with Thomas, we have

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recommended him to first take a self-assessment test to know his boundaries and act

according to them. We have advised him to be more approachable with respect to

opposing viewpoints and try to reach common grounds. Lastly, he has to raise his level

of creativity and productivity to be taken seriously by his boss and at the same time be

able to exercise influence on his colleagues and clients.

Introduction

The aim of this report is to identify the key problematic areas for Thomas Green,

suggest appropriate solutions to overcome these obstacles and allow him to resurrect

his collapsing career at Dynamic Displays. The report starts with highlighting key

competence areas which Mr. Green has ignored resulting in his current situation. In

the second part, we narrow down our investigation to the major competencies which

require immediate attention to usher in some positive reactions to Mr. Green’s work

from his seniors. We will generate alternative solutions and evaluate them based on the

decision criteria and critique the solutions on the basis of their advantages and

disadvantages. Lastly, we will propose short term and longterm recommendations for

him.

1. Problem identification and Analysis

1.1 Lack of persuasion skills

Thomas has an excellent way of presenting his thoughts and strategies to his clients as

highlighted by one of the market specialists. However, Thomas fails to understand the

mode of persuasion known as Logos. During his client meetings, Thomas failed to

demonstrate any data or facts and figures to bolster his claims. Goodman (2000) lays

emphasis on why it is important to back up your story with convincing numbers and

leave a lasting impact on your audience. This demonstrates a gap in his persuasion

skills and at times may result in a loss of potential clients.

1.2 Lack of decision-making technique

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Thomas showed a biased decision-making technique. Firstly, when Thomas did not

agree with Davis’s sales projection, he swiftly acted out of his assumptions and

concluded that the targets are unachievable. Russo and Schoemaker(1989) outlined

that overconfidence in our judgments is a key fallacy while making decisions. Thomas

failed to understand Davis’s factual data and showed an unwillingness to reconsider his

views. Secondly, when Davis pointed out Thomas’s shortcomings in their meeting,

Thomas quickly concluded that Davis is only making a revenge attack on him. Thomas

acted out of his preconceived notions instead of applying logic in that situation.

1.3 Lack of creativity

Thomas was totally occupied by his idea of creating a new software which according to

his assumptions would result in huge profits. He failed to convert this idea into action

and could not demonstrate his line of thought to Frank Davis. Thomas was also unable

to come up with any new strategies for increasing sales in his areas. The root cause is

the absence of relation between what Thomas thinks he is doing and what he is actually

doing. Vallacher and Wegner (1987) illustrated the causal relation between peoples’

actions and action identification.

1.4 Resistance to change

Thomas demonstrates an obstinate style of working. Even after Davis’s emphasis to

change his thought process and start behaving like a senior market specialist, Thomas

was still adamant on his prejudices and assumptions. Nevis, DiBella, and Gould (2000)

emphasized the necessity to continuously upgrade the knowledge and remain relevant

in this competitive world. An analogy can be drawn between firms and employees. Just

like companies have to continuously innovate and develop new strategies, employees

have to develop new competencies to achieve their ever-changing and increasingly

demanding professional goals.

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2.1 Lack of Self-Awareness affecting Self-Improvement

Thomas, up until his promotion, has been an excellent performer throughout his

career. As a student as well, he graduated with the highest distinction. So consequently,

Thomas had never thought that he could be an average performer. Allan (2015)

mentions how overachievers strive for perfectionism instead of productivity. Quest for

perfectionism can lead to massive procrastination and misguided prioritization.

Thomas was lured by the prospects of being promoted to a senior role but he failed to

give a rational thought of whether he is suitable for that role or not. Goldsmith (2010)

has excellently demonstrated how past successes of people prevent them from

becoming more successful in the future.

Thomas failed to realize that his position in the company had changed and now he was

looked up to by his subordinates for solutions and strategies. Church (1997) has

mentioned that Self-Awareness is one of the most important ability and skillset to

achieve managerial excellence. Thomas was floating dangerously between appearing

confident and cocky. He never sought feedback from Frank Davis, his immediate

supervisor about his performance or any improvements that were required. Because he

never took any self-assessment, he failed miserably to reflect on his self-improvement.

While promoting him, Shannon McDonald had advised him to reach out to other

managers and learn from them. Thomas failed to realize the essence of continually

upgrading himself and establishing himself as worthy of that promotion. Taylor, Neter,

and Wayment (1995) have emphasized self-regulation through continuous feedback.

Accurate and diagnostic information about oneself can help to remove the weaknesses

and maximize strengths. To prevent his dwindling career, Thomas will have to pay

immediate attention to this meta competency of self-management.

2.2 Ineffective communication leading to Conflict

Thomas committed to a flawed structure of communication with Frank Davis from the

beginning. During the Budget Plan Meeting in October, when Davis was presenting

growth projections, Thomas bluntly contradicted him. Thomas’s intention was to

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present an alternative approach to what Davis was projecting. Instead, his reaction

came across as rude and negative. This created a semantic barrier between the two

which Thomas failed to understand and the communication worsened further. “The

greatest problem with communication is the illusion that it has been

accomplished”(Shaw, 2010). Thomas did not put an effort to clarify the reasons for his

contradictions and assumed that everyone agrees with his views. Lunenburg (2010)

mentioned how the choice of words and the meaning we attach to them can result in a

diametrically opposite meaning to the receiver. Thomas projected negative signs of

self-disclosure which made him look rigid in his approach. He was not open to others’

viewpoints and disregarded them against his own biases. He was unable to accept any

criticism from Frank Davis regarding his work ethics, instead, he took it as a personal

attack in response to the budget plan meeting fiasco. Thomas ignored the attributes of

supportive communication. It is a dual-stage process where the receiver expresses an

opinion or action in response to the sender’s message (Burleson, 2009).

Because Thomas did not exhibit any interest in what his colleagues suggested to him,

the process of supportive communication between them totally broke down. As

Thomas and Davis’s relationship has worsened, Thomas perceives every action of Davis

as a deliberate attempt to build a case against him. Thomas’s attitude can be related to

the “Pygmalion Effect” (Tierney & Farmer, 2004). As Thomas expects negativity from

Davis in all his actions, he himself radiates negative attitude and behavior affecting his

performance and relationship.

This self-destructive mode of communication chosen by Thomas has led to unnecessary

conflict between him and Davis. McQuerrey (2018) explains how poor communication

leads to conflict in the workplace. Because Thomas is working in closed loops, there is

no coordination in his team resulting in unacceptable performance giving rise to

disputes between him and Davis. Thomas does not put in an effort to get to the root

cause of this conflict, in fact, he chooses to stay away from Davis adding fuel to the We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will

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already spread fire. There is no demonstration of any degree of flexibility from Thomas

towards Davis’s suggestions and this is acting as a catalyst for his downfall.

2.3 Ignored Office Politics and Power Centres

Thomas Green’s promotion did not follow the organizational hierarchy. His immediate

boss Frank Davis was not consulted before giving him promotion. Thomas was

unsuccessful in realizing the gravity of the statement when Shannon told him that he

was not Davis’s choice for the role. His promotion happened in part because of his

personal relations with Shannon and not entirely because of his performance. Thomas,

after joining in his new role, did not make any effort to take Davis into confidence and

showcase him that he was worthy of the promotion. His continued ignorance of the

importance to update Davis about his schedule and availability casts doubt on his

professionalism. Thomas failed to realize the true stakeholder mapping. Bourne and

Walker (2005) explain the importance of identifying the stakeholders and working with

them to understand their expectations and influence on project success. This process

ensures maximum positive input from stakeholders and minimum detrimental impact.

Thomas failed to realize that in the firm’s hierarchy, Davis was closer to Shannon as

compared to him. In a hierarchical organization, power is concentrated at the top and

is always directed downwards (Nielsen, 2018).

Thomas himself was in a position of power but failed to capitalize on it. He was directly

supervising market specialists and was answerable to Davis for their performance.

Cheong and Kim (2018) state that conflict in organizations may occur when there is

incompatibility, dissatisfaction, disagreement, interdependence, and exclusiveness in

preferences, values, goals, and attitudes among people. Therefore, conflict at the

workplace can be termed as unavoidable and, in most cases, beneficial. However,

Thomas made a blunder in terms of organizational politics when he bad mouthed Davis

in front of managers outside their group. Murad (2016) mentions that spreading

personal and negative information can backfire and hurt your own career track and

make you seem untrustworthy. Whether his promotion or discussion about his work,

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Thomas is supposed to talk with his immediate supervisor Davis first rather than

division leader McDonald and other team’s colleagues. However, Thomas regards

Davis as an opponent rather than an ally and he has to rectify this assumption if he

wants to save his career.

3. Statement of Alternatives and Evaluation of Solutions

3.1 Self-Management (Self-Awareness plus Self-Improvement)

3.1.1 Need for a self-assessment

Thomas desperately needs to take a self-assessment test with respect to his current role

which gives him diagnostic information about his strengths and weaknesses. Andersen

(2016) illustrates the importance of changing your inner narrative. Continuous

learning and productivity are directly related to each other, if we stop the learning and

upgrade process, the productivity will take a dip as well. Thomas needs to understand

that what got him to the senior market specialist role will not get him further in the

industry unless he innovates his working style and strategies.

3.1.2 Set regular checkpoints and validate using feedback loops

Because Thomas does not have the liberty of time, he will have to demonstrate quick

improvement in his work. Small and achievable targets at regular interval of time can

act as checkpoints or milestones. Conzemius and O'Neill (2009) emphasized the power

of setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Result Based, Time-Bound) Goals.

These goals enable substantial growth and at the same time alleviate the risk of failure.

The effectiveness of goal setting is dependent on an efficient and continuous feedback

loop from the stakeholders of the project (London, 2003). Thomas will need knowledge

of his results to accomplish his goals and effectively reform them to achieve even bigger

targets.

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Thomas was promoted with the headnote that he will seek guidance from the seasoned

senior employees and spend considerable time in acquiring managerial skills. This,

however, did not turn out to be the case. He was still thinking as an account executive

in a senior market specialist role. Ostroff (1992) has emphasized how newcomers have

to proactively socialize in a new organizational setting to acquire knowledge and skills

related to their job and work roles. Thomas has to demonstrate a growth mindset

which enables him to leverage from the experiences of his colleagues and use these

learnings to his advantage. He will have to shun the fixed mindset that he has been

carrying and challenge himself again as if he is starting his career as a new recruit.

3.2 Supportive communication

3.2.1 The Art of Listening

Thomas does not come across as a good listener. Because most of the times he works

unilaterally, he hasn’t developed an effective skill of listening. Listening does not only

mean allowing the sound waves to enter your ears. It involves selectively perceiving,

understanding, reacting and remembering what is being told (Cooper, 1997). One-

sided communication restricts Thomas’s knowledge to what he already knows, but to

enhance it and to accustom to the new role, he has to listen to the managers who have

been in his position from a long time.

3.2.2 Openness to conflicting opinions

Thomas has to realise that workplace has its resemblance to a social gathering.

Everyone will have an opinion and often these opinions will be contradictory. Thomas

has to use this situation as an asset rather than as an obstacle. Discussing all the

conflicting opinions and reaching a mutually agreed decision is an excellent risk

mitigation strategy. He has to treat every suggestion on its merits and accept its

benefits to foster a positive working relationship with his colleagues and clients.

3.3 Power and Office Politics

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3.3.1 Understanding Office Politics and Power Structures

Thomas failed to realize that Davis’s years of association with the firm had a bigger

impact on Shannon than his personal relationship with her. Thomas mistook

Shannon’s support as an unconditional offer and ignored the importance of his

relationship with Davis. He has to realize the powers that Davis enjoys because of his

designation and constructively work towards gaining Davis’s confidence. Casual

flattering statements, diligently working towards realizing Davis’s projections are some

of the actions Thomas can employ to win over Davis.

3.3.2 Cultivate relationships which enable him to exercise influence

Thomas needs to understand the concept of power and its use. As his new role is a

managerial one, he has the power to influence people. Thomas should develop new

strategies and ideas which will assist his team to increase sales increasing his

credibility as a competent professional, thereby growing his referent power within his

colleagues. This enables him to influence his team’s attitude, behavior, performance

and hence directly affect the results (Martin, 1978).

3.4 Evaluation of Alternative Solutions

We have evaluated the proposed alternatives on a set of decision criteria and the results

are drawn in the table below.

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4. Recommendations

As Thomas has to demonstrate substantial improvements in the 30 days which Davis

has given him, we recommend short term solutions to him. After implementing these

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solutions, Thomas can work on our long-term solutions which will help him to further

his development as a senior market specialist.

4.1 Short Term Recommendations

Thomas has to start by taking a self-assessment test to know if he fits in the role or not.

His talents might not be suitable for this role and it will be of no purpose to continue in

it and adversely affect his career growth curve.

If he decides to continue, then he has to improve on his attitude towards opposing

viewpoints. He has to develop a method by which he can either persuade the other

person to accept his proposals or be open to a concerted discussion and reach a

consensus. He has to reach out to his bosses and seniors and give them the respect that

their position commands. He has to indulge in meaningful conversations with them

regarding his improvements and keep them up to date with his schedule.

4.2 Long Term Recommendations

Thomas ought to start a process of regular feedback from Davis about his

performances. Periodic meetings on agendas of improvement will help him to foster

the relationship. He has to be more creative in his approach and prove his worth to

Davis by developing strategies which propel their products’ sales and build his

credibility as a competent professional.

5. Conclusion

We hope that the solutions that have been proposed to Thomas will assist him in saving

his career at Dynamic Displays. The solutions have been devised after proper thought

process and, if implemented, will trigger a chain of improvements for his betterment.

In the worst case, if Thomas is unable to act upon these solutions, he should quickly

look for opportunities elsewhere in the firm or outside of it.

6. References

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Allan, P. (2015, September 29). The Surprising Downsides Of Being An Overachiever.

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